06/20/2013

So often I write for the masses on this blog. How to make a baby wrap, our teen girls' summer reading challenge, and oodles of recipes. However, I want to really be keeping more of a record of our lives. The lives of my family that is growing up so fast, I can scarcely believe it.

My little William, at 2 years old, learned how to cut with scissors just moments ago, for the first time. Samuel, my 8 year old, is really swimming well, for the first time this summer. So many firsts come beyond that first tooth or first step. I feel beyond priviledged to observe these firsts in their lives. To be a mother of five, soon to be six, feels like such a blessing, one that humbles me in an intense way.

Intense. Yes.

But, not the intensity you may be thinking.

Intensity as in.....full, overflowing, and being very mindful. My mind is constantly whirring. What are the plans for today? What will be eating for meals? How much time do I need to prep these meals? What do I need to pack? Did I get laundry going? How will I fit in that game of monopoly with that child, when this child has a dirty diaper, and that child needs a ride somewhere?

Oh, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. There is so much joy, in the midst of all this. The smiles, the "I love you mama's", and the laughter. Lots of laughter.

One thing bringing us so much joy and laughter this summer is the water.

I am a bit suprised that we are not all walking around with our skin looking like wrinkled prunes, we are in the water so much.

Our home we purchased happens to have a swimming pool, and I am feeling quite spoiled. Unless the weather is poor, or we are gone for the day, we are in the water. Samuel and Katie are little fish, and the older girls are enjoying it so much as well. William has slowly been warming up to the idea of being in the water much. He prefers to walk around the edge with his big brother's water guns and shoot everybody. He loves the reaction he gets, and then he laughs this little "evil" laugh I call it. Maybe a little bit of "stinker" in that one....seems to be a trend in our family...hmmmm. Wonder where they got that from?

If we aren't in the pool, we are in daddy's favorite place in the world. Out on the lake in our boat. The water seems to have an immediate calming, and stress relieving effect on him, which I love. If he's had an especially tough week working, it seems as if the waves and wind take it all away. Every person in our family loves the boat, which is wonderful.

When you have toddlers to teens, it can be so difficult to find something that everyone enjoys. This is our thing. Mama making daddy spill off of the tube while she's driving the boat.....Katie giving daddy the signal to speed up the boat while she is "bravely" tubing at 5 years old, then immediately giving the signal to slow down while we all giggle, and enjoying picnics on the water.

These are the moments I look around at each face, and see the past, present and future all at once. I look at my eldest, seventeen next week, and see someone on the brink of aldulthood. I see my William, and see one who has so very much yet to learn.

05/31/2013

This summer, I decided to put out a fun challenge for my daughters. During their free time...which they do have...between youth work trips, vacation with the family, volunteering at our local vacation bible school, working as junior servants at a local camp, not to mention time with friends! It sounds like every minute of their summer is taken up. However, they do have plenty of free time, to just be themselves.

For those of you who may be curious, I have 3 daughters. Two of which are teenagers, (turning 17 and 16 this summer), and one daughter who is just 5. My two boys are young as well.

So, onto the challenge.

I thought it would be fun to come up with a list of books for reading this summer, (and yes, I told them I'd pay them for completion of the challenge ;) These books are at times, challenging, entertaining and inspiring. Most of them I have read, though some came recommended by good friends. Of course, there are so many good books out there, it was hard to narrow it down!

They have to have read 12 of these books by the end of the summer....which brings us to one a week...(I am saying the challenge is roughly 12 weeks from June through August. One of my teens is a voracious reader, and one could take it or leave it. (Hence the money reward!) Some weeks they will be so busy, no reading will get done at all, I'm sure. But, other weeks there will be plenty of leisure and reading time. I hope your daughters, (or you!), might enjoy and grow from some of the books listed......

05/09/2013

This recipe is something one of my daughters came up with yesterday. I am excited because I LOVE the Double chocolate cookies they sell at Subway.....even though I am sure they are full of mystery ingredients. Not something I want to think about my family eating often.

We try to stick to the 80/20 rule. We eat real food with no mystery ingredients 80% of the time...and so the 20% of the time that we do have food that's not so good for us, I don't worry about it.

We live in a REAL world, with REAL temptations. And, we also have 5 (going on 6!) children in our family. I don't want to be known as the "food nazi mama", who never lets her kids have birthday cake at a party, or snacks at a church event because they are aren't always "real food" snacks.

These cookies would freeze well, so make a big batch, and enjoy them without the guilt!

04/10/2013

04/08/2013

One thing that seems to keep people from making real food at home, is the time involved. There can be a lot of preparation: chopping, mixing, baking....and not everyone has time for that.

This is one recipe that can keep prep time down, and enjoyment of making real foods in your kitchen up! A great meal for a night when you are shorter on time, but don't want to spend your hard earned dollars on fake food.

03/06/2013

So, yesterday I wrote a post about living in freedom from the "comparison game". I'm not sure if I've ever met any woman (probably men too), who have not played this game at one time or another.

In Part 1, I told of how I used to play it much more often than I do now.

Well, I haven't confessed the area that I am tempted to play this "comparison game" in the most. You see, my fourth pregnancy ended in the stillbirth of our son, Joseph Mark, at 39 weeks.

This is gut wrenching tough stuff---the loss of a child. He was so perfect it's hard to describe.

There was a single knot in the umbilical cord.

Ugh. A hard blow.

However, it was not to be our last heartache.

Last fall, during my seventh pregnancy, (We have five children living at home), we lost another son. Thomas Franklin. My sweet little Thomas was about 17 weeks gestation...( I didn't know he was gone until we went for a 20 week check-up and heard no heartbeat.)

Another very painful loss.

And, yes, I had to deliever both of my sons.

So, can you imagine the thoughts that I myself struggle with? And, as far as other women have shared, I believe I am not alone. Especially if you have suffered a miscarriage, stillbirth, or the loss of a child? Thoughts of "Why should I have lost my child? This child would have been smothered with love and kisses their whole life! Why did that young girl addicted to meth get to have her baby? And, he's healthy! I don't understand.".....

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On facebook the other night, I was asked by a friend who had recently suffered another misscariage....how do you cope? I mean, besides reading your bible and talking to God and your hubby?

Here, is my list of ways I fight off the temptation to be jealous and/or have that pity party we all are the ONLY ones invited to! :

1. Remember, that life is hard for everyone at some time or another! We are NOT the only ones that are suffering in this world. We get so bogged down at times with our own "issues", that we hardly notice what insight our story could be bringing to others.

Our worst trials, can be the greatest source of encouragement for someone else.

2. Also, I realized I have to truly FIGHT AGAINST thoughts that pop into my head. Thoughts like I mentioned before..... "why does that woman seem to have such an easy life and I don't".....along with many, many other thoughts that are negative. I warn you NOT to let them stay long, lest you give in to them and believe them. I truly have to fight them off mentally or with scripture, and truly REFUSE to let myself go there. I REFUSE to let myself have a pity party. Truly. I am quite stubborn about it. Ask my husband. Don't get me wrong, though. I have had many tears over losing my boys. This time around, losing my Thomas came only one month before losing our home. Double whammy! Yet again, God carried me through these incredibly dark times.

Beg God to keep you mentally strong, and He will help you! But, you've got to get your weapon of scripture and use it.

Get in the Word.

Get in the Word.

Get in the Word.

Must I repeat?

Tape verses pertaining to your situation on 3 x 5 cards, and tape them above the sink, on the bathroom mirror, and other places.

Remind yourself of the truth, so the lies can't creep in in the first place.

We have weapons that we sometimes forget we even own. We don't think about the power of the written word, and try to muddle through life without tapping into our greatest source of power and encouragement.

God doesn't desire for us to stay in the muck.

He desires TOTAL and COMPLETE FREEDOM for our lives!

The best weapon against the lies that get inside our minds :: The TRUTH of scripture

Ephesians 4:27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

3. Give yourself GRACE. God gave us feelings, and there is nothing wrong with feeling the way we do. However, I believe it is what we DO with those feelings that does matter.

Will I take my jealousy, grief, sadness, anger to God? Will I share with him how I feel, and lay it down at His feet? Will I accept His help in this?

Or, will I try to combat this on my own.

Talking with our husbands and friends is a wonderful thing to do. I find quite a source of encouragement from both.

But, am I looking to Christ as my first source of strength? Or, am I expecting others to meet my needs?

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.

4. Develop a heart of gratitude and thankfulness.

Okay, so your parents have probably tried to instill this in you since you were young. Your mother probably said: "Say "thank you" for the sweater Aunt Judy gave you".....or something along those lines many times.

However, thankfulness has to come truly from our heart. Not just our mouth.

And, you know you hated that tacky sweater she gave you, anyway.

There is one lady who has changed my entire way of thinking about thankfulness.